Advanced Conclusions to Finality
by Peanuts Beta
Summary: After his graduation party, Jeff Winger takes one last walk around campus as a Greendale student.
1. Chapter 1

Jeff Winger wandered aimlessly.

It wasn't often that he did. But it wasn't often that he was this far in his own head.

Today he had gained a deeper appreciation for Abed. He had told his friends how much he cared about them. And he had somehow come to terms with the reality of life after Greendale. And then had an amazing little party to celebrate his achievement.

It was a banner day if ever there was one. And thanks to Annie, there had indeed been a banner.

But that had been hours ago, and it wasn't without some sadness in his heart that he walked, saying goodbye to the place that been the cocoon to his butterfly these last few years. He finally liked the person he had become after all that time.

As he turned the dimly lit hall in the library that led to the study room, he allowed his mind to drift back to the first time he'd laid eyes on the people he now called family.

He never thought he'd get along with Shirley. She seemed so cloying at first. Almost saccharine-sweet. And then there had been this whole other layer to her. This… realness. And despite their all history, a certain trip to a certain town included, Shirley probably understood him more than anyone else in the group. She became a sister to him.

Abed. He had always meant what he said about Abed being a shaman. He had an affinity for the guy that sometimes baffled him. And yeah, the way he connected to other people was odd, and he could be extremely difficult to get along with sometimes. But his ability to read people and see into their motivations… He became a confidant to him.

Jeff liked Pierce more than he would ever let on. Ever. Pierce, out of touch though he was. Casually racist, forgetful, desperate, and terrified of being left out… There was a goodness and warmth in Pierce that would sneak out from time to time and absolutely blow his mind. Pierce was an episode of Family Guy. He spent so much time being obnoxious and overbearing. But every once in a while, he would deliver like few others could.

This was Britta's year. She finally clued in to the fact that she was her own worst enemy. She had her first real relationship, maybe ever. Even if it didn't end perfectly (and really, do they ever?). And she had been instrumental in his reunion with his dad, and for as lousy as that went, the catharsis that came from it was something he'd needed years ago. If Jeff was honest with himself, he'd admit that he'd never had a more annoying friend in Britta. But if he was honest with himself, he'd also admit that Britta was one of the best people on the planet.

He honestly liked Troy. Really, from the start. That had no small amount to do with the degree to which Troy looked up to him. And then Troy just sort of became awesome. Jeff admired his ability to seamlessly switch between child-like wonder and sober maturity. And Jeff often suspected that, without Troy, the group would have destroyed itself from within. He was the heart and soul of the group.

This brought him to Annie. As he pulled open the door to the darkened study room, he could still remember perfectly the first thing she had ever said to him.

"What board certifies a tutor?"


	2. Chapter 2

"What board certifies a tutor?"

Jeff jumped at the vocalization of his thought.

"Annie?" He peered into the gloom, trying to see who had said that.

"Jeff?" Came a startled squeak.

As his eyes adjusted to the lack of light, he could see her sitting on the table, staring at him. At once his heart slowed down and simultaneously sped up. He took a moment to calm his nerves.

"What are you doing here, milady?" Winger smooth. As always.

"No…. Nothing. It's silly of me, really."

If he squinted, he thought he could make out the color seeping into Annie's face.

"That was the first thing you ever said to me."

"Uh… Yeah." Came the slightly wistful, and very nervous, reply.

Jeff moved over to where Annie was sitting and joined her on the table. He slung an arm around her shoulders, pulled her against him in a friendly hug and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. He could feel her smile in spite of herself.

"Why did your 'yeah' sound so sad?" He said, with evident concern in his voice.

"It's silly, like I said. I don't… I'm fine. Really."

"Uh-huh." Disbelief dripped from his words. "Let's try that again, shall we?"

He removed his arm from Annie's shoulders and angled his body so that he was facing her. Then he took his hand and placed it on top of hers.

"I need you to understand that there is nothing you could ever tell me that would cause me to stop being your friend. You mean too much to me for that. Okay? Now, tell me the truth, are you pregnant?"

"Wha-" The shock was written clearly on her face.

"It is mine?"

"Je-eff!" Annie playfully smacked his chest.

"Well if you're not pregnant, how bad can what you can't say really be?" He grinned at her.

She grinned back.

"It's…"

"Nothing, I know. Why not get 'nothing' off your chest then?"


	3. Chapter 3

"It's…"

"Nothing, I know. Why not get 'nothing' off your chest then?"

Annie muttered something under her breath. Jeff could just make out the words 'good lawyer' among them.

"Fine." Annie began. "I was… reminiscing, I guess. About the first time we met."

"Great minds think alike. What's on your great mind then?"

"If you _must_ know, I was inwardly cringing about how lame the first thing I ever said to you was. To be honest, I'm surprised you even remember it."

"I remember lots of things." Jeff snarked.

"So I'm told." Annie snarked back. "I was thinking about the people we are now, versus the people we were then. I was thinking about how our little family came to be. We put each other through so much, and we just kept coming back for more, each and every week."

"Not every week." Jeff joked. "There was the time when the start of classes was delayed a few months."

"Har har, Winger. You know what I meant. I guess I was just thinking that Abed may have truly been on to something with his fate speech last week."

Jeff shifted slightly so that his and Annie's shoulders were lightly touching. Her fingers had interlaced with his. He didn't mind.

"Abed is almost always on to something." Jeff said softly. "Of all of us, I think he's probably the sane one."

Annie glanced over at Jeff questioningly.

"Abed was the first person in our group to really embrace the chance that Greendale gives everyone." Jeff began. "He was the first person in our group to see this place for what it really is."

Annie laid her head against Jeff's shoulder and closed her eyes, waiting for him to continue. If this was going to be the last Winger speech she heard in the confines of these walls, she wanted to squeeze every drop from it that she could.

"Greendale is a kind of purgatory. For lack of a better word for it. But you'd never know it at first glance…"


	4. Chapter 4

"Greendale is a kind of purgatory. For lack of a better word for it. But you'd never know it at first glance…"

"That's the beauty of this place. And, admittedly, it's one I fought against. It's the part of my brain that is stuck in 'old Jeff' mode. I'm so used to fighting things that sometimes I fight them without realizing what I'm fighting.

"Greendale is beautiful, but I had to look for it a little bit. It started for me as a means to an end. Namely, getting a law degree. But, having been there for these last couple years, I have a different take on it. Greendale is the best thing that has ever happened to me. To Troy, to Abed, to Britta and Shirley and Pierce and you.

"I came to Greendale a self-involved, jaded, manipulative liar. Troy came to Greendale a selfish, immature, childish jock. Abed came here a distant, disconnected, disaffected robot, Shirley came here an angry, hurt, recovering alcoholic, divorcee. Britta came here a complete screw-up with so many political agendas she was never able to actually make a difference in any of them. Pierce was a mal-adjusted, lonely, attention-seeking heir to a moist towelette empire. And you… You came here as a type-A, obsessive-compulsive, recovering Adderall addict.

Look at our group now, Annie. Troy is a mature but child-like, responsible adult. Abed learned how to connect to others and how to allow others to connect with him. Shirley found her way back to happiness with Andre and opened a successful business. Britta found her self-confidence and learned how to not be her own worst enemy. Pierce found people who accept him for who he is and found an outlet for his particular brand of wisdom. I learned how to put other peoples' needs ahead of my own and I found a way to actually like who I am.

"Then there's you. You've faced so many of your demons. Learned that sometimes second best is okay if it means supporting a loved one. Grown up and become a fascinating woman. Someone who is a source of inspiration to me on a daily basis. Someone who challenges me when I'm not at my best and is the first person there to hug me when I am.

"All of us are better now, because of Greendale. That's the true beauty of Greendale. It even extends to Kevin. Changnesia…. he's faking it, you know. But look at who Ben Chang was; an unhappy, disliked maniac. And look at how everyone treats Kevin. He's the same guy, but Greendale gave him a chance to reinvent himself. Greendale is the mirror that shows us how we look to everyone around us. And Greendale gives us the opportunity to change ourselves so that we like the reflection we see.

"Because sometimes, regardless of how far you've fallen, there is still a chance for redemption. For atonement. Greendale is that chance. And you're already accepted.

"Without this place. Without the family I acquired throughout my years here. I wouldn't be the man I am today. I've still got a lot of work to do on myself, but I'm not actively running away from happiness anymore.

"And while this isn't the venue I had in mind to say this, I can't think of a more appropriate place to tell you that you're….


	5. Chapter 5

"And while this isn't the venue I had in mind to say this, I can't think of a more appropriate place to tell you that you're….

Jeff took a calming breath and continued.

"You're the best person I've ever met."

A fiercely burning flush stole over Annie, who could not help but smile as she turned her face into Jeff's arm in a feeble attempt to hide from the compliment she had been paid.

"Do you remember outside the Tranny Dance, before we… and I told you that Slater made me feel like the guy I want to be and Britta made me feel like the guy I already am?"

"Mmhmm." Came the reply from the contemplative brunette sitting next to him.

"You make me feel like both. You have been on the receiving end of every awful thing about me, but you choose to see the best parts. I've never seen someone look at me the way you do. You look… _through_ me. _Into _me. And that is, frankly, terrifying."

An amiable, shared silence stole between them, giving gravity to what Jeff said next.

"I'm better, simply for knowing you. And that's not something I ever thought I'd feel. I was happy to be shallow, and vain, and selfish. And when Greendale fell into my lap… I never looked at is as anything more than the easiest means to end I wanted.

"And then, debate happened. And suddenly there were these feelings welling up inside me. Feelings that were coming from a place where I hadn't felt anything in so long, I thought it was boarded up for good.

"The advice you gave me before Shirley and Andre's re-wedding…" He trailed off.

"You mean to look into your heart and say what's there? Didn't that end up being scotch?" Annie teased.

"Well…" Came Jeff's tentative reply. "That was what I told you I saw. And that was certainly where I turned after looking in there."

Jeff paused for a moment, gathering his courage.

"Every time I tried to see what my heart was telling me was there, even long before you suggested it, I just kept seeing you. Over and over again. You. Even amidst the shallow, materialistic pursuits that I longed to go back to. You. I still wanted to have a nice car. I still wanted a big house. I still wanted to drink scotch and play cards and be a lawyer. But suddenly, you were there too."

Jeff heard the sharp intake of breath from the surprised woman sitting next to him. He smiled before he continued.

"I didn't know what to do with that information, so I hid from it. You were this young, naïve, persistent, _beautiful_ girl. I… was jaded… too cool to care… and scared. Scared of what you made me feel. Scared of _how_ you made me feel. Suddenly I… _cared_. _I cared_ about what someone who could do nothing for me professionally, or monetarily thought of me. And that scared me. So I hid.

"I hid in Britta… in Slater… in pushing you away by treating you horribly... in treating you like a little kid… in graduating early. You name it, and there's a good chance that for the last three and a half years, I've been using it to hide from how I feel about you."

A stunned Annie Edison sat quietly next to her friend and desperately searched for something to say in response. Nothing came. Jeff continued.

"But that's not even the worst part.

"The whole time, I knew how _you_ felt about _me_. I used it against you so many times. I used it to bolster my ego… and to console myself when my pride had been hurt. And not once did I have the courage to face it head on and acknowledge that you weren't crazy; that I felt it too.

"And worse still, I kept stringing you along. I would take my shirt off in front of you at the drop of a hat. Sometimes for reasons that even seemed flimsy at the time. Sometimes I could feel the weight of your gaze and against all my better judgment, I would return it. Sometimes you just caught me looking at you…

"And the dreams… my god you haunted my dreams. Especially after the Santa bit."

Annie visibly flushed at the mention of this.

"I used to have dreams that you and I were alone in the bathroom at your apartment, or sometimes the kitchen, and you were tending to an injury I'd sustained. The tension in the room would be so palpable and sometimes we'd kiss, or come close to it, and I'd wake up.

"You infected me with you. You permeated my thoughts… my heart… my very being. And I think that's the best thing I've ever had happen to me. Nobody in my life has ever made me want so badly to be better than I am.

"I'm still unsure of how to even _deal_ with most of the feelings that you dredge up, but I know that my life would be infinitely less remarkable without you in it. And that's not a reality I'm willing to face. You are the first deep breath in after you eat a mint, the climax of a good book, the satisfaction of a perfectly prepared meal, and the pure, naïve hope of a kid fresh out of high school all rolled into the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.

"So, with that said. I think I'm ready to answer the question you asked me in the bathroom 2 years ago."


	6. Chapter 6

"So, with that said. I think I'm ready to answer the question you asked me in the bathroom 2 years ago."

"You are?" Came the soft, hopeful reply from the girl sitting next to him. Annie surprised herself that she was able to even muster a reply. Her jaw hung open in astonishment at the revelation Jeff had lain at her feet and her mind whirled uncontrollably as Jeff went on.

"If I get to know you for sixty more seconds or sixty more years, my life will be all the happier for it. You are the most consciously upbeat, joyous, competitive, intelligent, challenging, frustrating, loving, and lovely person I have ever had the pleasure of knowing… or ever will."

Jeff closed his eyes and pressed on.

"I cannot fathom any human being I could love more than I love you.

"You deserve to know that. I have a track record of waiting until it becomes safe to say things. And I want to break that cycle. Every good thing has passed me by because I've waited to act until any threat of bettering my life was gone. But the thought of you passing me by… I can't abide that.

"And I'm not sure if you even still feel the same way about m…"

Jeff's confession was cut short by the feeling of lips being pressed against his. He opened his eyes in surprise only to immediately close them as the sensation of Annie's tongue playing at his swept over him.

He was transported back in time to the transfer formal. His sense memory reminded him of the way she invaded his space and delicately, almost tentatively kissed him. When she broke the kiss and stepped back, just one word echoed through his mind.

… more.

He was taken to the gym, where he was holding a disabled debate douchebag. The feeling of her hands on his face, turning his lips to meet hers. And the sudden heat that raced through his body. Instinctively, he dropped his cargo and returned the kiss, as the smallest essence of an idea began forming in his mind. An idea that would come to define him as a person and subtly direct his actions for the next three and a half years.

He was placed back in his body. Back in the reality of his Annie's third kiss with him. He felt the corners of his mouth turn upwards as he began to return her kiss. Somewhere in his mind, a concept that had been very alien to Jeff Winger for a great many years became a reality again. And Jeff came to a startling realization.

He was happy.

He broke the kiss with Annie and hopped off the table before offering her his hand to help her down.

The beautiful face he'd been in love with for years looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back.

"What now?" She asked in a playfully sultry voice that threatened to send his blood racing away from his brain.

Jeff chuckled gently and put his arm around Annie's waist.

"Tonight, we dine!" He hammed.

Annie giggled. "Cool. Cool cool cool."

Jeff looked down at her with one eyebrow cocked in surprise.

"What?" Annie smiled playfully. "Abed doesn't own that."

They turned to the door and slowly strolled out to Jeff's car, enjoying each other's company. As they passed through the threshold of the double doors leading out of Study Room F and into the world, Jeff turned and closed the doors behind him. He felt he should say something to commemorate his passing through these halls, and without knowing where they came from, the perfect words formed in his mind.

"Well…" He began. "At least it was here."


End file.
